Get In The Game

Creating an adaptive tennis program that encourages players of differing abilities to play together

By Cameron Levis
Photos Courtesy Of Bowling Green Parks and Recreation

The daily mission of park and recreation professionals is to enhance the quality of life for residents through a variety of programs, services, and facilities. However, some professionals may not fully recognize their power to create true social change for a population that is often forgotten about. Individuals with disabilities are sometimes viewed in a negative light, which prevents them from being fully included in the everyday happenings of a community. Whether the issue is employment, housing, transportation, or even recreation and sports, community leaders too frequently fail to make accessibility and inclusivity a priority.

I am fortunate to live in a community that prioritizes adaptive, accessible, and inclusive opportunities, especially for recreation and sports. In Bowling Green, Ky., both the park and recreation department and the city have made a dedicated decision for nearly four decades to intentionally and strategically develop an entire division of programming to actively serve people with disabilities.

So, how exactly does an organization or department create, develop, and implement adaptive and inclusive programming? To lay out a blueprint for other interested organizations, let’s use tennis as an example. Tennis is a sport that all people can enjoy, regardless of ability or age. Furthermore, during the height of the pandemic, tennis was one of the few activities people could do while remaining safely distanced from others. According to an article released by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in 2021, 21.64-million people played tennis in 2020—an increase of 22 percent from 2019. Of that number, 6.78-million people were new or had played the sport many years before. (https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/national/u-s--tennis-participation-surges-in-2020--pac-report-finds.html). As such, tennis’s popularity is something to capitalize on.

Here are a few key points and helpful hints to consider in starting an adaptive and inclusive tennis program.

Make A Friend, Don’t Just Cash A Check

As park and recreation professionals are aware, there is no shortage of innovative ideas that can impact communities in positive ways, but there may be a lack of funding. Consequently, there is a need to find alternative resources to accomplish the goal. Grant funding is a wonderful way to kick-start new programs. While the money is of obvious importance, pursuing grant opportunities is more than receiving a check. Value the funding organization as a partner, which is providing funds for programs/services that will help both organizations fulfill a shared mission. Our program has received close to $91,000 in grant funding over a 5-year period. A large portion of that has come from the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute to support individuals with paralysis, which is in line with the participant base in the adaptive-sports program. Another consistent funding resource is the USTA, at the local, state, regional, and national levels. With these two resources, the support for adaptive and inclusive tennis programming is abundant, and the reason we can offer the sport to the community.

Ask For Support

The USTA—the national governing body for tennis—is structured to provide wonderful support for programs at a grassroots level. Most communities have a Community Tennis Association (CTA) that offers tennis. Beyond a CTA, there is a state office, followed by a section (or regional) office, leading to the national office. For any department that wants to start an inclusive tennis program, reaching out to a local CTA or state office is a great place to begin. A CTA may provide volunteers for a program, instructional support, equipment, and much more. At the state level and above, a multitude of grant opportunities are available to get a program off the ground. USTA’s Net Generation (https://netgeneration.usta.com/) can help someone with little or no tennis experience learn effective ways to introduce the sport to individuals of any ability.

Try Up-Down Tennis

Up-Down Tennis is a program that focuses on facilitating the sport for people with and without disabilities. Bowling Green’s focus is providing tennis opportunities to individuals with physical disabilities, but in an environment where everyone can play on the court together. Up-Down Tennis is exactly what it sounds like. On the same court, one person plays “up” either with or against a person who may be a wheelchair user, playing in a sport chair. The only rule change is the person playing in a sport chair gets two bounces instead of one before returning the ball over the net.

So how can park and recreation professionals shift perspectives to create social change for an entire population? The focus must be on a person’s abilities instead of any disabilities. This first step will begin to create a more accessible and inclusive society. The world of sports and recreation has a natural way of bringing people together, no matter their differences.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab a racquet and invite all your friends to take a swing into the world of adaptive and inclusive programming, as you use recreation and sports to shape your community for the better.

Cameron Levis, CPRE, AFO, CARSS I, is the Special Populations Coordinator for Bowling Green Parks and Recreation in Bowling Green, Ky. Reach him at cameron.levis@bgky.org.